Authentic Dundee Cake Dundee Cake is instantly recognisable, it’s those concentric rings of whole almonds radiating out like ripples on a loch. You see those almonds and you know what you are going to get: a light/medium fruitcake of Scottish origin. Have you ever considered its name though? What...

Autumn Apple Cake This lovely lightly spiced cake was made with abundant windfall apples in my good friends garden, from a tree that I’ve baked many a yummy apple cake and dessert over the years. It’s based on a Scandinavian recipe, heady with cardamom and...

Omnia Oven Victoria Sponge I thought I’d test my new Omnia Stove Top Oven with my favourite cake: the traditional Victoria Sponge. Now, before I carry on I will confess that this cake isn’t anywhere near as pretty as I hoped it would be. In...

I’ve Got an Omnia Oven! It’s an oven that sits on the hob and it looks like a cross between a lidded saucepan and a bundt cake tin. When I ‘moved in’ to the Thundertruck I had to concede that I wouldn’t be able to...

This was my first, and probably last, foray into the world of wedding cakes. It was a sharp learning curve to say the least, it threw up a few challenges and was a lot more time-consuming and stressful than I ever imagined! I had to speed...

Chocolate Guinness Cake. I was heaping the luscious white chocolate cream cheese frosting onto the chocolate cake when my five year old twin nephew and niece walked in. Wide eyed they stood, watching while I spread it out, begging for me to serve it out....

Hufsie cake. After devouring a Hufsie cake in my first week in Shetland it immediately won my ‘this is what I’m going to bake and blog from Shetland’, especially after munching though buttered slices of it at the Sunday Teas too. Hufsie cake is a light...

2017 Plans: Sweden, Norway, Scotland, Sweden! 2017 is a bit of new experience for me, for the first time in a long time, the year has already been loosely mapped out! I can’t remember the last start to a new year where I’ve been able...

5 Things to do in Turku in Winter. Turku is Finland’s oldest city and it was the capital until the 1800’s when the focus was transferred to Helsinki. Today Turku is a vibrant city beautifully situated either side of the Aura river on Finland’s south-east...

I have a confession, I flippin’ loved 2016! Yes, I know there were some devastating moments – one or two that shook the foundations of my world – but the year is drawing to a close and all I can think of is how amazing it...

Rovaniemi: Visiting Santa Claus in Summer! Have you ever wondered what Lapland is like in the summer? What does Santa get up to? We visited the real Santa Claus in Rovaniemi, Finland, slap-bang in the middle of summer and I can confirm that summer in Lapland is pretty...

Abisko in November: Snow and Aurora in Swedish Lapland. Abisko National Park sits 200 kilometres inside the Arctic Circle in Sweden, on the edge of Lake Torneträsk, surrounded by mountains. It’s a beautiful place in a spectacular location, and I’m living here! Well, living...

Road Trip Norway? Yes, You Need To Do It! If you are looking for an epic road trip with jaw-dropping scenery, curvy roads and plenty of amazing places to stop, then you need to drive Norway. In May 2016 we spent seven weeks touring Norway...

When I fell in love with Lapland over the summer, little did I know that I would be moving there the coming winter! A whole winter under the Northern Lights; a whole winter of frozen beauty and polar night. I’m ridiculously excited: it’s like...

“Bear!” Chris whispered. I couldn’t see it a first, then a snout peeked from behind a tree, followed by the furry bulk of a bear as it emerged from the forest. It took a moment to find the bear through the viewfinder on my camera: I...

Blackcurrant Shortbread Jammy buttery shortbread with blackcurrant conserve for the win! I had a friend coming round for coffee and the remnants of some homemade blackcurrant conserve I made in Sweden: these slices were the result. We were house sitting and I had an Aga oven...

At latitude 70º, Hammerfest lays claim to being the most northerly town (of any decent size) in the world. It certainly feels like you have left civilisation behind you as you cross the open expanse of tundra from Alta on route 94. The bleakness is...

50 Ways Finland Made Me Smile This Summer. After spending eight weeks touring around Finland this summer in our truck camper I thought it only right to match my 50 Ways Finland Made Me Smile This Winter post with a summer one! On my trip...

Blackcurrant Choc Chip Muffins I loved picking blackcurrants when I was little, our family garden gave us a freezer full every summer. We’d pick them and mum would freeze them for endless pies over the winter. Imagine my joy when I was graced with...

Walking Up To Pulpit Rock It’s around a two hour walk to the spectacular Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), a walk that is well worth the exertion when you look out from this protruding cliff over the jaw-dropping vista in front of you. Standing near the edge...

Exploring Norway’s South Coast Route 44 on Norway’s southern coast is a spectacular tangled ribbon of road that weaves through a wild rocky landscape. The narrow road snakes up and down the steeply undulating hills with tight switchbacks, it curves around sparkling blue lakes, passes...

The Viking Ship Museum, Oslo The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo houses three viking ships: three imposing boats returned from Valhalla; three boats that were buried for over a thousand years; three boats that were taken from the water to be used as tombs on...